High Stakes Poker Scam Broken

The police and the FBI weren't bluffing when they brought an end to a high-stakes poker scam at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.

When they entered the room they discovered something reminiscent of Ocean's 11; a room filled with high-tech surveillance equipment that allowed the team of thieves to rip off poker players who participated in private games.

One of four men arrested at Borgata on June 7 by New Jersey State Police was Steve Forte, a Las Vegas gaming consultant who is internationally recognized as an expert on methods to put a stop to casino cheaters. Forte, 51, is the author of Casino Game Protection, and he is the president of a consulting firm called International Gaming Specialists.

Gaming companies and law enforcement agencies worldwide in the effort to catch casino cheaters have hired Forte. He has acted as a gambling adviser for "Dateline NBC," the Discovery Channel and a number of motion pictures, including "Rounders," a 1998 movie starring Matt Damon about a reformed gambler who comes back to high-stakes poker to help a friend pay off loan sharks. Additionally Steve Forte is a producer of a 4-part video series designed to "help protect all those that play in private games from card and dice cheaters" as quoted from his website.

Authorities disclosed details of this plan Tuesday; they would not say what lead them to the scam artists. The investigation continues and could lead to other casinos, possibly in Las Vegas, as that is Steve Forte's experience base. A spokesman for the New Jersey Attorney General's Office said the thieves arranged private, high stakes poker games at Borgata. The private games were not a part of nor in any way related to Borgata's casino operations.

The scam artists used strategically placed surveillance cameras to peek at players' hands. The information was secretly relayed to an accomplice wearing an undetectable receiver in his ear. According to Mr. Aseltine of the NJ Attorney General's Office, the cheaters further attempted to enhance their chances of winning by utilizing computer programs and marked playing cards. The computers, software and network involved were described as ‘sophisticated video and audio equipment'. This would indicate a great deal of planning went into this poker sham.

The thieves are all facing charges of using a computer and cheating devices to commit theft, attempted theft by deception, as well as conspiracy. The names, also released, further show the planning that would have had to go into this effort. Joseph Ingargiola of Play del Rey, in California, Stephen Philips of Las Vegas, Steve Forte of Las Vegas and James Harrison of Duluth Minnesota. As only two of the conspirators live in the same state, the communication involved was obvious. All four men have been released on bail pending their court hearings.

At the same time that the scam was playing out in June, Borgata had held a $1.7 million poker tournament, which brought 337 players to compete. It was billed as the largest event of its type in Atlantic City. Dave Coskey, Borgata's vice president of marketing, said the tournament was unaffected by the cheating ring. "To the best of my knowledge, they weren't targeting our tournament," Coskey said. "It was off the gaming floor. It wasn't affecting our gaming at all."

Even with the security experience of Steve Forte, he and his conspirators were unable to out last the tactics of the players, the police, and FBI indefinitely. The continued investigation will generate final results over the next several months, at that time, it will be made known how far these thieves reached in their scam.